A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a musical instrument based on skates. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device attached to figure skates for transforming a physical performance into electronic sounds, notes and music.
B. Discussion of Related Art
Previous advances in figure skating and other skating disciplines have been achieved through improved equipment, better coaching, sports medicine and psychology and appropriate nutrition. In figure skating, primary emphasis is commonly placed on the use of training techniques and fixed equipment intended to reinforce the skater's proper upper and lower body position, and the use of the skater's muscle memory. To date, skaters have relied on the ability of a coach to observe their movements and suggest or demonstrate steps for improvement. Feedback from a coach requires frequent and intensive coach time.
Since its invention in the last century, skating has been analogous to silent movies. Live or mostly prerecorded music accompanies a skating performance both in the competitive and the entertainment world of skating. All skaters skate to prerecorded music when they perform. Ice dancers and synchronized skating teams, for instance are judged on the precision with which they interpret the music. For single free style skaters and for pair skaters the music is often treated as required accompaniment with few interspersed musical crescendos when the skaters jump or spin. However, no matter what the event is, skaters in all cases skate to the music.
It is well known, however that during skating the blades generate sounds. Unfortunately, these sounds are nothing more than scrapes, whistles or toe pick scratches that are not particularly entertaining. In fact, skating as quietly as possible is considered by most skating professionals to represent quality skating.
A variety of devices, which use the feet, hands and fingers or other body parts of a dancer, to control musical instruments have been demonstrated, published, and patented in the past. Most of them are associated with gloves, shoes and other types of footwear. However, there have been no such devices that use skates as the source of music. Examples are seen in the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,305 to Medler; U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,650 to Cox; U.S. Pub. No. 2005/0153265 (Kavana); U.S. Pat. No. D488,284 to Kavana, etc.
In the Tap-Tronic invention http://www.usc.edu/dept/dance/p3_more.html#ZT Alfred Desio described the Zapped Taps, Tap-Tronics™. In his concept, each dancer used electronically amplified tap shoes. Transducer microphones in a tapper's shoes were wired to a transmitter either hand-held or placed in a pocket. The tap sounds were relayed to a receiver and could go through special effects modules, a number of synthesizers, and other electronic equipment. There was a special effect due to performance: the music was developed and changed by the dancer at the moment that the dance took place. Basic elements included the tap sounds, any electronic devices, and the material that the composer had pre-programmed into the sequence.
In the 1987 U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,305 “Tap dance shoe including integral electromechanical energy conversion means”, the inventors Charles E. Medler and Terry C. McInturff featured a tap attachment to a tap dancing shoe. The tap included pickup means for converting the mechanical vibration energy generated by the tap striking the floor into a substantially undistorted electrical signal suitable for remote processing and amplification. Also disclosed was a wireless radio transmission system adapted for carrying by a dancer using the shoe whereby the electrical signals picked up by the pickup means are transmitted to a remote receiver/amplifier unit.
In 1999, “Ice skating simulator apparatus and method of using same” by Cox received U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,650, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This invention is concerned with a skating apparatus for facilitating replication of a skating stride, comprising a support surface with a pair of pivotable simulator arms. Each pivotable simulator arm supports a foot portion that is slidable along the pivotable simulator arm in a guide track. The foot portions are coupled to a resistance mechanism, via a chain, to provide resistance to the foot portions during a skating stride. The resistance mechanism includes a retraction device for retracting a chain during the return stroke of the foot portion. While this invention provides tactile feedback to the skater with the purpose of improving her skating skills, it does not have means to convert this feedback to music. Variations of the Cox patent are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,955,608 and 6,551,221, the disclosures of which is incorporated herein by reference.
In 2005, “Entertainment device” of Jordan Kavana was published under US Patent Pub. No. 2005/0153265. The invention describes an interactive entertainment device that can be used as a karaoke machine, a dance teaching aide, a combination of a karaoke machine and dance teaching aide, a competition device, and others. The interactive entertainment device may include a central processing unit, a dance mat having one or more sensors for receiving input from a user, a display device for displaying words of songs, one or more input devices, such as microphones, and one or more speakers for playing songs.
In 2004, “Virtual reality musical glove” by Kavana received U.S. Design Pat. No. D488,284. Also by the same inventor is provided the design of gloves, which are commercially available as the “HandBand”, a virtual musical instrument that uses the bending of the fingers connected with strings to micro-switches to control a wirelessly connected music synthesizer capable of playing tunes and other special effects.
In several Ice Skating shows including the 1998-1999 “Stars on Ice” Olympic champion Ilia Kulik performed a couple of unusual programs choreographed by Sarah Kawahara (“Noise” and “Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk”) in which he used his natural musicality and his stroking ability to always match his prerecorded music beat for beat. With microphones on his hands and feet he added skating sound effects to his skating. His blades tapped and swooshed out intricate rhythmic vignettes that were musically complex and visually awesome, building in intensity to an incredible finish (Miriam Ellis). See websites http://p 198.ezboard.com/fkulikskrewonlineform8.showMessage?topicID=723.topic http://www.kuliks-krew.com/Kulik_programs/noise5.shtml
Other related publications are:    John Kymissis et al., “Parasitic Power Harvesting in Shoes,” Presented at the Second IEEE International Conference on Wearable Computing, IEEE Computer Society Press, pp. 132-139, October, 1998.    N. Shenck, J. Paradiso, “Energy Scavenging With Shoe-Mounted Piezoelectrics,” IEEE Micro, vol. 21, No. 3, May-June 2001, pp. 30-42.
Joe Paradiso's system description in 2001 states “We have instrumented a pair of dancing sneakers to each measure 16 different parameters, including continuous pressure at 2 points in the sole below left and right toes, continuous pressure at the front of the shoe for pointing, dynamic pressure below the heel, bi-directional bend of the sole, orientation about the ‘magnetic vertical’ (a 3-axis solid-state compass), tilt in two axes (a low-G MEMs accelerometer), high-G's/shock in 3 axes (a piezoelectric accelerometer), angular rate about the vertical (a vibrating reed rate gyro), height above electric field transmitters in the stage, translational position (sonar from 4 separate locations), and battery status (continuous level and discrete warning). All sensors reside on the shoe itself, together with a PIC microcomputer to sample and serialize the data, an FM wireless transmitter to broadcast updates (at up to 20 kbits/sec, giving us a 350 Hz state update from both shoes) and a 9-volt battery that lasts a day or so.” http://www.media.mit.edu/resenv/pubs/papers/2000—12_ISEA_Shoe.pdf presents Joe Paradiso's dance shoe personal reflections including a vision of an orchestra performing music while using these musical sneakers. Paradiso Expressive footwear is for computer-augmented dace performance. See http://www.media.mit.edu/resenv/pubs/papers/97—10_Wearcon_Shoe.pdf.
In 1997, Yamaha introduced its Miburi system, consisting of a vest hosting an array of resistive bend sensors at the shoulder, elbows, and wrist, a pair of handgrips with two velocity-sensitive buttons on each finger, and a pair of shoe inserts with piezoelectric pickups at the heel and toe. It is the most advanced wearable musical interface to have hit the commercial music world. See website http://web.media.mit.edu/˜joep/SpectrumWeb/captions/Miburi.html. The most recent models employ a wireless data link between a belt-mounted central controller and a nearby receiver/synthesizer unit. Yamaha has invented a semaphore-like gestural language for the Miburi, where notes are specified through a combination of arm configurations and key presses on the wrist controllers. Degrees of freedom not used in setting the pitch are routed to timbre-modifying and pitch-bending continuous controllers.
Sonic Banana is a bend sensor midi controller with good references on Miburi and Paradiso's shoes. See http://www.iua.upf.es/mtg/reacTable/musictables/singer_sonicbanana.pdf.
In a paper “Towards a choice of gestural constraints for instrumental performers” Axel Mulder discusses many of the conceptual issues related to a successful mapping of the musician's gestures to the performance of music using various musical instruments. See http://www.tufts.edu/programs/mma/emid/IRCAM/Mul.pdf.
Although the foregoing devices may be well suited for their respective purposes, they either involve microphones to capture the natural sounds produced by the skates or tap shoes or use sensors that are suited to capture the movement of the foot while dancing on a dance floor and map these movements to arbitrary sounds.